Practice Management
A 68-year-old female presents to urgent care with dyspnea for 2 days. She has a medical history of heart failure. An ECG is obtained. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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A 45-year-old woman presents to urgent care with a painful area that developed on her right ankle 2 weeks prior. The patient had a family history of venous thromboembolism. On examination, a variegated brown patch with a central pink angulated scar and an overlying thick crust on the lateral ankle was seen. There was also unilateral peripheral leg edema. On laboratory examination, anemia, thrombocytopenia and anticardiolipin antibodies were present. View the image and consider what …
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Urgent Message: Epiglottitis is a potentially fatal condition that has undergone a changing etiology in the post-Hib vaccine landscape. Urgent care providers should be well versed on its presentation to properly triage patients and avoid misdiagnosis. William Bradley, BA Citation: Bradley W. Death After Delayed Diagnosis of Acute Epiglottitis in an Adult Patient Initially Seen in Urgent Care: A Case Report. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6)31-35. Key words: sore throat, epiglottitis, thumbprint sign Abstract …
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Several Florida hospitals are suing UnitedHealthcare claiming the mega-insurer systematically underpays for emergency services. The 17 hospitals involved in the suit allege that the insurer failed to pay them the reimbursement rate required by Florida law, as reported by WKMG. The claims at issue in the argument involve only Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace exchange products. Last September, University of Florida Health and UnitedHealthcare parted ways after those network contract negotiations failed. It’s a …
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A study of 2,083 patients found that doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) was highly effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in a real-world setting. Conducted from April 2019 to July 2024 at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the study analyzed patient demographics, STI testing history, and doxy PEP use patterns. Nearly half of participants were aged 31–40, over half were White, and most (85.2%) were gay or bisexual men. Most were not diagnosed with …
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CareFirst Urgent Care has added 3 locations in Kentucky to its network through the acquisition of Rapid Relief Urgent Care. Updated signage, technology system transitions, and other improvements are planned, according to a company press release. Also with operations in Ohio and Nevada, CareFirst now expands its existing footprint to more than 40 locations. In Nevada, the company has a new center soon to open in the city of Henderson, but its largest market area …
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The Food and Drug Administration has approved a meningococcal ABCWY vaccine for use in individuals aged 10 to 25 years, according to a press release from manufacturer GSK. The vaccine targets 5 groups of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (A,B,C,W, and Y), which represent the most invasive meningococcal disease cases globally. The vaccine combines antigenic components of the meningococcal group B vaccine and meningococcal groups A, C, Y, and W-135 oligosaccharide diphtheria CRM197 conjugate vaccine. Trial …
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A measles outbreak in Texas grew to 58 cases over the course of about a month as of February 18, 2025, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The first 2 cases were detected in January. As of this week, the vast majority of cases were reported in Gaines County. All but 4 cases involve either unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, according to the department, and confirmed cases are primarily …
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Longstanding financial and logistical challenges seem to be intensifying for rural-area providers, as evidenced by new data from consulting firm Chartis, which highlights that 46% of rural hospitals currently have negative operating margins and many of those are in danger of closing. In the past year, 18 rural hospitals closed or transitioned to provide only outpatient care. Of the 48 states that are home to rural hospitals, 38 have at least one hospital that is …
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The Louisiana Medicaid program has created an emergency department (ED) utilization-reduction pilot that will run for the next 6 months, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The program will identify ED “super-utilizers” in an effort to better align their access points with their health needs as appropriate. Acadian Health, a home-health provider, will deliver care to patients at home with urgent care mobile units, reimbursed by 6 local Medicaid managed care organizations—specifically encompassing 5 …
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